Ugly contains all the thrash trio’s classics from their EPs as well as newer stuff. Their mid-’80s thrash and burn is refreshing without being nostalgic.
Starting with “Copsucker,” a fast-paced ditty highlighted by Joan Wasser’s maniacal screaming, the band mixed material from the new album with old faves.
You’re in for a real treat if you dig sultry vocals, virtuoso piano playing, and personal, witty lyrics that are at times funny, depressing, or cynical.
The funky, hip-hop thing el Dopa does serves them well; when they push toward a complicated, multi-layered style, they occupy both your mind and your feet.
They’ve gotten way heavier and grittier in the last year or so and now they crunch on this powergroove like Aerosmith or Hanoi Rocks on a mean J.D. binge.